


3am is not an acceptable time

by BlametheCosmos



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Friendship, Hate to Love, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-18
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-26 23:48:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5025436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlametheCosmos/pseuds/BlametheCosmos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"3am. Of all times, it had to be 3am. Couldn’t be at eight or even nine in the morning, some other hour that it was even slightly tolerable for a fire alarm to blare through the entire fucking building."<br/>Fitz, fed up and exhausted by the repeated incidents of his buildings fire alarm waking him every morning, decides to finally confront the culprit. His new neighbour Jemma Simmons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unwelcome Wake Up

_3am. Of all times, it had to be 3am. Couldn’t be at eight or even nine in the morning, some other hour that it was even slightly tolerable for a fire alarm to blare through the entire fucking building_. Groaning, Fitz hauled himself out of the heavenly comfort that was his bed and grabbed a hoodie from the messy pile of clothes on his floor on the way outside. He probably should be in more of a hurry but after four consecutive nights of this hell he would rather run the almost non-existent risk of being burnt to death than go outside. Thankfully, he had learnt to prepare himself better seeing all his neighbours at this time so had put on his light blue checked pyjama bottoms and a plain white t-shirt. Unlike the first night of this hell when he had woken up to the sound of the alarm in only his boxers and had to pull on his jeans as he ran down the flight of stairs to the fire exit. Of course, that time he had thought it could have been an actual fire. But now he was certain of the culprit. That girl in the flat next to him. _Jessica… Or was it Jennifer? Jenna maybe_ , hard to know when the only time you’ve seen her is outside in the middle of the night, apologising to the local fire department about the whole fiasco. _Didn’t stop her from doing it over and over again._ He thought, greeting his friend Skye as he lined up at the fire assembly point in the car park.

 “Was it her again? Because I swear to god, if I’m outside freezing again at three in the morning because she fancied some midnight toast then I will kill somebody.” She moaned, wrapping her fluffy dressing gown tightly around her.

Fitz nodded towards the fire engine, “Looks like it was.”

As predicted, she was standing next to a very grumpy looking fireman apologising.

“She’s your neighbour, you should deal with her. Tell her that everybody hates her because she can’t keep her alarm under control.”

Fitz sighed. “Fine, I’ll talk to her but I’m pretty sure that she is well aware of the fact that she’s public enemy number one right now.” He trudged over to where the girl was now standing alone, looking very miserable.

“Hi, I’m so sorry about all this. I swear, it won’t happen again.” She rambled before he had even gotten to her.

“Listen, Jenna…” He started.

“Jemma.” She corrected.

He shook it off, “Yeah, whatever. Listen, I might have been able to forgive you four nights ago but I’m sleep deprived and cold so it’s a bit late for that. You can’t keep doing this otherwise there’s gonna be an angry mob outside your door.” He raised his eyebrows at her in a way of questioning if she understood.

Jemma nodded quickly at him, “I understand, but it really isn’t my fault. The smoke detector in my flat is broken and it thinks that steam from the shower is smoke. I tried calling the landlord about it but he won’t listen.” He could tell she was holding back tears, apparently not someone who was used to people shouting at her. Neither was he, to be honest.

“Why in god’s name were you taking a shower at this time?” He asked, tone softened slightly to prevent her from getting any more upset.

She shrugged, “I’m a biochemist. I do research in a lab nearby and I work late a lot. I have to shower after every shift to make sure I don’t spread any hazardous materials.” Looking down at the floor, she continued “I know that sounds pretty ridiculous but I don’t know how to fix the detector and like I said, the landlord won’t listen to me.”

Fitz pinched the bridge of his nose, time to take one for the team. Or fellow residents, he supposed. “Okay, this isn’t a sign of forgiveness or anything but I’m good with electronics so I can take a look at it, until then you can use my shower. Just tell me when you finish work and I’ll be up.”

She broke out into a huge smile, “Thank you so much, I really hate having to do this to everyone all the time.”

“Yeah well I can’t say I’m too fond of being forced outside in my PJs every morning so for the sake of everyone else, I’ll just have a few late nights.”

Jemma nodded in agreement, “I honestly can’t thank you enough, you’re so kind. It’s Leo, isn’t it?”

He wrinkled his nose at the sound of his first name, “Please, just call me Fitz. Kind of hate my first name.” He explained.

She smiled at him again and he couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was, I mean, he pretty much hated her, but he couldn’t deny something so obvious. “Fitz.”

Fitz smiled slightly back at her and turned around to head back to Skye. His smile dropped as he got to her, realising what he had just agreed to.

“How did it go? Did she get the message?” She asked him.

Fitz shook his head, a frown forming on his forehead. “It was, she definitely got the point.”

“And then what happened?” She searched his expression. “Why are you frowning?”

His hand went up to rub the back of his neck, “Well… I think I may have just offered for her to use my shower whenever she wants.”

Skye was lost. “What?”

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, “She said her smoke detector was broken because it goes off when she has a shower sometimes.” He raised his hand to stop her from asking her next obvious question, “Something about her working late in a lab, so I said I could fix it and, until then, she could use my shower. 

“She’s a scientist!” Skye switched her tone very quickly from one of bewilderment to childlike excitement. “You’re a scientist too!”

“Nooooo, no no no no no.” He raised his finger and pointed it at her, “No.” He said seriously.

“Yes. Definitely yes. You always say that the reason you won’t accept any of the girls I try and set you up with is because you have nothing in common with them. Well, guess who’s just found a girl you have something in common with.” She beamed at him.

“Skye, please. She’s been setting off the fire alarm all week and because of that I’ve had no sleep. So, to be very honest with you, I hate her right now." 

Skye sagged, “Fine, but you’re the one who offered her your shower.” She pointed out.

Fitz sighed, jogging slightly to catch up with her as she sped back inside having been given the all clear. “Yeah, I am.”


	2. Dr Jemma Simmons

Fitz wandered down his corridor to the next door, tool box in hand. When he reached it he tapped three sharp knocks onto the wood and waited for her to open it. He heard footsteps coming his way before she opened the door, smiling brightly to greet him.

“Hey, is this an alright time for me to fix your smoke detector?” he asked, raising his toolbox slightly in proof.

“Yes of course, come in.” Fitz stepped inside and looked around as she shut the door behind them. “Can I get you a drink? I don’t have much in but there are some teabags in the cupboard.”

Fitz shook his head, “No thanks. I’m guessing it’s that one that’s playing up?” He pointed towards the detector just outside of the bathroom door, it’s cover had been taken of already.

“Yeah, thanks for doing this.”

He shrugged as he lifted up a kitchen chair and carried it over so he could reach properly. “It’s fine. I do have a PhD in engineering so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

She frowned, watching at he fiddled with the detector, “You never mentioned that, you’re quite young to have a PhD.”

“And you aren’t?” He pointed out, then paused. “Sorry, I saw it on a letter at the door. I got mine when I was 17, child genius and all that.”

Something sparked in Jemma’s expression, “Me too. I mean, I had two at 17 but only because the university let me do them at the same time.”

Fitz almost dropped his screwdriver, he turned to look at her in shock. “Holy shit.” Was all he could manage.

“Yeah it freaks everyone out a bit. Guess that’s why I don’t have many friends.”

_Oh my god,_ He thought, _she’s_ the _Dr Jemma Simmons._ “No, no. It’s not that…” She looked at him, puzzled, for a moment before he continued. “I-um… I know who you are.”

“What?”

He sighed, trying to focus on the task at hand so he didn’t go too red. “I’ve been keeping up with you’re work since I graduated. I figured someone the same age as me that also had a PhD in science was worth keeping up with.”

Jemma blushed at his compliment. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so much like a fan. It’s just that I’ve never met anyone smarter than me before.” He admitted. “I found the problem with this through.” He said, tapping it lightly with the handle of his screwdriver “The light beam in the photoelectric chambers basically dead so even the slightest obstruction to the beam, such as a bit of steam, and it freaks the hell out.”

Jemma nodded as he explained, “How long until you can fix it?”

Fitz thought for a few seconds, “Well… I’ll need to order some bits for it and that might take a few days for delivery but as soon as they arrive it’s a doddle to repair.”

“And you’re sure it’s ok for me to use your shower in the meantime?”

“Yeah, of course.” He said, jumping off of the chair and putting it back in place before heading to the door with his toolbox back in hand, “Considering the other option is early morning alarms I’ll take anything. I’ll probably be up late most of this week anyway, I’ve got some designs I need to work on.” He explained.

“Thank you so much, Fitz. I promise you will barely even know I’m there.”

“You’re welcome, Jemma. See you later.”

“Bye.” She replied with a slightly raised voice so he could hear as he was already away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a bit shorter than the last chapter but I wanted this bit to be on it's own. If anyone wants to check out my tumblr then please do, it's coffee-is-my-division


	3. Late Night Working

Skye sat on the small grey fabric sofa in Fitz’s flat, typing away furiously at her laptop while Fitz sat cross legged on the floor, printouts of research and blueprints for his various designs strewn all around him. This was a routine they had gotten into a while ago and it usually worked well, they would talk if they needed a break from working but most of the time was spent in a comfortable silence as they concentrated on their own tasks. Usually.  Fitz kept glancing up from his work at Skye, a look of annoyance on his face.

“Could you keep the noise to a minimum, please?” He muttered, gently tapping his pen off of his leg in impatience.

Skye looked away from her screen for the first time that hour, “What? I’m not making anymore noise than I do any other night.”

Fitz was staring determinedly at the blueprint in his hand, “I just can’t focus with your incessant tapping in the background.” He replied, anger evident in his tone.

“Fine.” She huffed, typing slightly lighter on her keyboard.

Fitz continued staring at his papers for a few minutes before finally sighing in defeat, “Sorry. My boss is putting me under a lot of pressure to get this project perfect but I can’t figure out what to use for it. The very few solutions I managed to come up with wouldn’t work efficiently enough so I’m kind of screwed right now.”

Skye shrugged, “It’s okay Fitz, you’ll come up with something. You always do.”

“I really hope so.”

 

* * *

 

 

Fitz was startled by his phone suddenly buzzing. Skye had gone hours ago but he had kept working. And by ‘working’ he meant helplessly staring at his blueprints and rereading papers over and over again. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and picked up his phone with the other, it took him awhile to focus on the bright screen to read the message:

_‘Hi, I just finished work. Is it alright if I come over now?   Jemma’_

He quickly replied to say that she could before standing up and stretching out, his body stiff from sitting on the floor so long. He made his way over to the fridge and pulled out a beer, twisting the lid off of the bottle and tossing it aside. He probably wasn’t going to get any further with his work anyway.

He had only made it a quarter of the way through his drink when there was a knock at the door, followed by “Fitz, it’s Jemma.”

“Just come in, it’s unlocked.” He shouted to her.

He turned to look when she entered, wearing a white shirt under a navy blue jumper.

“I brought my own towel and shampoo and things.” She said, closing the door and walking further in, “Should I just go through then or… whoa.” She almost went straight across all of his work.

“Yeah, sorry about the mess. Trying to come up with a new design for work.” He explained, taking another gulp of his beer.

Jemma nodded understandably, “I know feeling. I’d love to look over them after my shower if that’s ok with you? I, um, well I did some research on you earlier on and your work is amazing! I can’t believe I haven’t heard about you before because honestly so many of your designs are revolutionary and especially considering our similarities.”

He let out a quiet laugh, “Different fields I guess. And similarities?”

Jemma reddened slightly, “Both from the UK, both child geniuses with degrees in scientific fields by 17…”

“I see your point. The bathrooms just through there, pretty sure our flats both have the same layout and everything so it should be pretty easy for you to figure everything out.”

“Thank you.” She said and then disappeared into the bathroom.

“You’re welcome.” He replied but she probably didn’t hear him.


	4. The Night-Night Gun

_What the hell, is she singing?!_ Fitz glared at the bathroom door, _what does a man have to do to get some silence around here?_ He thought. Supposedly, if he really wanted silence, he could have just shouted for her to be quiet but in all honesty he was enjoying it too much. God she was a good singer, he didn’t realise how good until her current song choice. Originally she had been belting out Uptown Funk but then she switched to Photograph and he had stopped his failed attempt to focus and just listened until she finished the song. Then the water stopped and he heard the shower curtain parting. Realising that he should probably at least look like he was doing something other than listening in on her shower, _ok so that sounds creepier than it actually is,_ he scrambled forsome notes to busy himself with. After a few minutes of faked studying the door opened and a wet-haired Jemma stepped out, humming to herself. Fitz tried to stop his eyes from following a water droplet that trickled down from a curl in her hair, down the curve of her neck, over her collar bone and- _whoa stop right there, don’t be a creep._

“You- uh-” He coughed awkwardly, “You have a lovely voice.”

Jemma’s eyebrows shot up and she covered her mouth, only to bring it down slightly so she could speak, “Oh my god! I didn’t think you could hear that, I am so sorry.”

“No, really Jemma. You’re an amazing singer.” He insisted.

She reddened at his compliment, “You’re probably the first person that’s heard me sing, apart from my parents when I was younger.”

“I feel honoured.”

She laughed uncomfortably, not used to people complimenting anything other than her brain. “So… Can I see what you’re working on?”

“Sure,” He stood up and gathered the blueprints in a pile before laying them out on the table for her to see. “I call it the ‘Night-Night Gun’. Non-lethal, heavy stopping power, breakup under the subcutaneous tissue.” He looked at her to check she was following, being used to talking to people with lower IQs had resulted in this habit. But he didn’t need to with her, she clearly understood every word he was saying. A nice change. “Unfortunately though, I kind of hit a speed bump with the bullets. So far everything I’ve tried has failed to give me the instant paralysis I need.”

Jemma nodded, thinking the problem through, “Have you tried dendrotoxin? It would be difficult in such a small quantity but it would most likely work.”

Fitz stared blankly at her, “Jesus Christ, you’re amazing! Only problem is that I’m no biochemist. I could come up with some theories on it but if I want this thing to work effectively then I’m gonna need your help.”

Jemma grinned at him and he did the same back, sharing a moment of pure joy after the grueling hours of failed tests was a dream come true for Fitz. “Alright, but on one condition.”

“Sure, anything.”

“We aren’t calling it the ‘Night-Night Gun’”

Fitz’s mouth fell open, “It’s a great name!” He argued.

“It’s a stupid name.”

 

* * *

 

 Fitz flopped onto his bed happily for the first time in weeks. It was nice to have that heavy feeling of pressure weighing on his shoulders finally relieved. And for some reason he couldn’t stop grinning every time Jemma Simmons popped into his head, which was very often. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Skye’s number.

“What. The. Hell. Fitz, it’s nearly 2am.” Came her voice.

“Shit, sorry I didn’t know the time. But listen, I think I’ve sorted the Night-Night Gun problem. Jemma’s going to work with me on the biochem side for the bullets, she had this genius idea about using dendrotoxin and-“

“All right, I’m gonna hang up now because you’re rambling about stuff I don’t understand, goodnight.” Skye interrupted.

“Sorry, night.”

“Also, look who’s got a cruuuusshhh.” She said in a sing-song voice and then hung up before he could retort with some blatant denial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I can never be bothered spell checking these properly so just go with any mistakes. Also, scientific inaccuracies are very likely. I'm an art and maths kid, not a science one.   
> Thanks for the kudos and comments, you guys are the best :)


	5. Late

_Tick, tick, tick, tick._ All Fitz could hear was the clock on the far wall in the lab, counting down the seconds like it was mocking him because _she_ _still hadn’t turned up._ They had agreed to meet here at quarter to four and it was now ten to. Fitz unlocked his phone and scrolled through the text conversation with Jemma from yesterday, just to make sure he hadn’t got the wrong day or messed up the times even though he knew he was right considering that he had checked it twice already in the last five minutes and multiple times today. Jemma didn’t strike him as someone who would be late. In fact, she seemed like the sort of person who would arrive ten minutes early. He resisted the overwhelming urge to phone her so he didn’t seem weird or desperate, _just give her another five minutes, then it’s ok to text her at most._ He watched at the door, willing it to open. He looked at the clock again. Seven minutes 39 seconds late. He really needed to get a grip of himself, normally lateness didn’t phase him in the slightest but the concept that _Jemma Simmons_ might have stood him up was freaking him out. ‘Stood up’ wasn’t the right word. _This isn’t a date, Fitz, it’s work_ he reminded himself. Although he wouldn’t mind a date, it’s been awhile since he last went out with a girl. _Or got laid._ He got offers, a few people in the lab had asked him out since he started here but none of them were smart enough to keep up with what he was talking about. Not that he had a sense of superiority but the harsh reality of being a genius meant that you can’t connect with most people. But Jemma was different. He’d even go as far as to say she was slightly smarter than him. _Slightly._

He checked the clock again, 3:55pm. He picked up his phone and started typing out a message when she burst through the doors, looking very flustered and out of breath. Fitz felt the sickening tug of anxiety stop.

“Got on the wrong bus and had to run” She explained, breathing heavily.

“It’s fine. I just finished setting up so you’re actually on time.” He lied.

Jemma walked over to his desk and stopped in front to look at it. “Your desk is a mess.” She pointed out.

“True, but I have a system. That pile’s for past projects, that one’s for reports, there’s research, and-” He said, pointing to each stack in turn.

“That one’s for your rubbish?” She offered.

Fitz nodded, “Yeah ok, I see what you mean.” He stepped over to the work bench beside his desk, “But we’ll be doing the work on here, I set up everything we need to make as many samples as we need to and test them through the programme on the computer, which I’ve rigged up to the big screen because no one else is here. If you need to move anything for feng-shui or something, then go ahead.”

She inspected his layout before answering, “Actually, everything’s exactly how I’d set it up. Which is impressive because I can be quite particular about these things.”

Fitz spoke while he took out his prototype of the Night-Night Gun and bullets, “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Shall we get started then?” She suggested, putting on the gloves and lab coat she had brought in her bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but this won't be updated until tomorrow (Saturday) because I'm away :/


	6. Fixing Things

“Oh, the new components for your detector came today. I can fix it today if that’s ok?” They were walking along the hallway that led to their doors.

“That would be brilliant, Fitz! You’ve been so kind letting me use your shower and doing all this.” Jemma said, coming to a stop outside her flat.

“It’s no problem. Easy to fix, and anyway, you more than repaid me by helping me finish the bullet formula. Couldn’t have done it without you.” He smiled at her, leaning against the doorframe watching as she worked on getting her keys out of her bag. He liked the way she stuck her tongue out slightly when she was focusing on something, he’d noticed that in the lab today. And how her face lit up when they finally found the perfect balance of chemicals for the bullets to work as efficiently as needed. So many times today he had considered asking her out but she was definitely out of his league and besides that, she probably had a good-looking, hulk of a boyfriend. Sighing sadly, he continued talking “I’ll just go get the package, see you in a minute.”

He heard an “Okay” from her as he walked away and back to his own flat. Unlocking his door, he quickly went to the counter and picked up the open package and got his toolbox from its place in the small cupboard.

 

* * *

 

 “All done.” Fitz told Jemma as he stepped off of the chair and pocketed the old components.

Jemma came over to look at his work, “Thank you again, Fitz. I’m so glad I don’t have to constantly worry about pissing off the whole building.”

Fitz chuckled, “Yeah well there will always be one person who won’t be pissed off.” Cringing almost as soon as those words came out of his mouth. “I mean, you’ve got me as a friend here so I’ll understand if you cause any more havoc at night.”

“Hopefully those days are over.” She pointed out.

“Yeah, hopefully.” He shuffled his feet for a moment, unsure whether to stay or not, “Listen, I should get going.  I’ll see you later?”

“Oh, ok. Thanks again.” _Was that disappointment in her voice? No, he was probably just making things up._ And then she hugged him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. He never wanted her to let go.

Jemma pulled away so Fitz could leave, and, just as he was about to go, the words _screw it_ flew through his mind. He turned to face her again, “Do you want to go get coffee sometime?” He asked, feeling a bit stupid given that he was almost fully out of the door.

Jemma looked surprised at his suggestion, “Uh, yeah that sounds nice. You should bring Skye along too.” She suggested.

Fitz frowned, odd suggestion considering she’d never properly met Skye. “Sure… I’ll text you about it later.” He promised, closing the door and walking back to his in a daze of confusion and mild rejection. _So I guess she definitely sees me as just a friend then._

 

 

 


	7. Marathon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Jemma's point of view

Why did she let this happen? He has a girlfriend for god’s sake. One she can’t compete with looks or personality-wise, and going by how much Fitz talked about Skye he was very likely in love with her. This was so much easier when she went out with guys she didn’t have feelings for. Sure, they were all a bit boring and nothing ever lasted more than a few weeks but that was way better than the pain in her chest that came up every time she saw either of them or, and these were the worst times, when she saw them together.

He wasn’t even the usual type she went for. Instead of the sporty, muscular build with dark hair and tanned skin Fitz was pale and she doubted he’d worked out in his entire life. But for some reason that was all she could think about nowadays. And those eyes, so blue they were entrancing and his sandy coloured curls that she wanted to run her hands through. Her stomach flipped at the thought.

_Ok, time for a distraction._ She thought, turning on the television and flicking idly through the channels. Finding a _Doctor Who_ marathon on one channel she settled down, figuring she didn’t have anything better to do. She wasn’t long into the episode when her phone buzzed on the coffee table, she reached to pick it up, a grin spreading when she saw who it was. She answered it.

“Are you watching Doctor Who?” Fitz asked, jumping straight into conversation.

“Yeah, there’s a marathon on tonight. Hang on, how did you know?”

“Thin walls.” There was silence on the other end for about five seconds, “Can I join you?” He asked shyly.

Jemma was giddy with excitement at the prospect of seeing him again, _he has a girlfriend,_ she painfully reminded herself. “Only if you bring popcorn.”

“Deal.” He said, and then hung up.

There was a knock at her door almost immediately after. “It’s open.” She told him.

Fitz came in, his arms carrying a frankly ridiculous quantity of snack foods. He dumped it down on the coffee table in front of them and sat down next to her. “Turns out I have more snacks than I thought I did so I just brought everything.” He said, turning his attention away from her and towards the show. Oh how she wished she could just lean in and kiss him in that moment.


	8. This is Her Apartment

Rather than the beeping of his alarm clock, it was the sunlight that shone through the blinds and over his closed eyelids that woke Fitz this morning. He groaned at the aching pain in his lower back from the awkward position he had slept in, and then became suddenly very aware of the light weight on top of him. He looked down at the peaceful Jemma Simmons who lay on top of him, head resting just below his collarbone, a small smile on her face. One of her hands was flat against his chest, the other was caught in his own, fingers intertwined. He moved his free arm from around her waist to tuck her adorably messy hair behind her ear. She stirred at this, stretching out against him. _Shit_ , he thought, looking down to check that there weren’t any ‘stirrings’ of his own down there. By some miracle he hadn’t been betrayed but decided it was in his best interest to move that area slightly away in case of any sudden occurrences.

“G’morning.” He greeted her, a sleepy grin on his face.

Looking up at him, confused but perfectly happy, she replied. “Good morning yourself. Did we fall asleep during the marathon by any chance?”

“I guess so.”

They stayed there, gazing into each others eyes, hands still together. Fitz ran his thumb across the back of her hand and it sent shots of electricity up her body. _Hang on, was she leaning up towards him?_ He realised, frowning but copying her movement until their lips were a hairs breadth apart. Jemma moved that little bit closer until she caught his lips with hers. Fitz felt his stomach flip as a warmth spread from his lips throughout his entire body. She adjusted herself on top of him until she was straddling him, not letting him go for even a millisecond. She moved her hands up to his hair and ran them through his oh-so-perfect curls just as she had longed to do for so long. He had one hand on her waist where her t-shirt had bunched up to leave bare skin exposed for him, and the other cupping her face, thumb running up and down her jaw.

He opened up the kiss, letting his tongue pass in her mouth. Neither of them cared about the morning breath they both had because the moment was so amazing that neither could have dreamed it. She responded by sliding her hands down his chest and around his back, underneath his shirt. Her hands feeling their way across his, frankly more muscular than she had expected, shoulders.

A horrible thought flashed across her mind. _Skye._

Her stomach lurched and she couldn’t stop thinking that this amazing kiss that she had waited so long for was so wrong, and that Fitz, someone she had decided was honest and kind, was nothing more than a cheater. It only made it worse to think she was the girl he was cheating on Skye with. Jemma pushed away from him, the look of confusion and sadness across his face almost killing her.

“I-I have to go.” She stuttered out, grabbing her jacket from the kitchen counter as she left.

Fitz sat in stunned silence, utterly bewildered by whatever had just happened. Had he overstepped the line? What the hell had happened that meant she had to go so immediately, to break up the best few minutes of his life.

He frowned to himself, “This is her apartment.” He whispered to himself.


	9. Hiding Out

She was halfway down the hall when she realised she didn’t even know where she was going. She couldn’t go back for at least an hour to make sure she wouldn’t come home to Fitz still on her sofa, and normally when she needed somewhere to hide out she’d go to her lab but that was closed today, apparently someone had spilt some extremely dangerous chemicals and they had to evacuate and wait until the hazard containment team deemed it safe. She couldn’t hide out in any cafes or shops because none of them would be open yet, and she didn’t have any money anyway. There was always Bobbi’s though. She was Jemma’s only real friend, besides Fitz, that she’d made since moving here. She worked with her in the lab, used to be very high up in the army but she had to leave due to injuries. Luckily she only lived fifteen minutes away.

The walk took slightly under the expected time because the streets were so quiet, it was only 8am after all. She pressed the buzzer, praying that she would be in.

“Hello?” the old speaker made her sound very mechanized.

“Hi Bobbi, it’s Jemma. I need somewhere to hide out for an hour or so, is that ok?”

The lock clicked open so she took that as a yes, going straight up.

She climbed one set of stairs to reach the door, which was already open for her. She went inside and was greeted by the sight of Hunter, Bobbi’s boyfriend, wandering around in just a towel.

“Morning.” He nodded to her as he passed to get to the bedroom. “Bob’s in the kitchen.”

“Thanks.” She replied, looking away from the mostly naked man. He didn’t seem bothered though.

Jemma went through, Bobbi sat at the table finishing off a glass of orange juice and a slice of buttered toast. “Sorry about this, I didn’t know where else to go.”

Bobbi shrugged, “It’s fine, I don’t have any plans this morning anyway.” She took in Jemma’s expression, “Boy trouble?” she guessed.

Jemma nodded sadly.

“You don’t have to tell me what happened if you don’t want to, you know.” She smiled at her sympathetically.

“I kind of need a second opinion, actually.” She took a deep breath and sat where Bobbi gestured her to. “Fitz came round last night to watch a Doctor Who marathon that was on TV, we ended up falling asleep on the sofa together. And then, when I woke up we kissed. Honestly it was unlike any kiss I’ve had before but I had to leave because he has a girlfriend and I wanted to throw up when I thought about the fact that he was cheating on her with me.”

Bobbi nodded slowly as she took the information in. “And you don’t know whether to tell her or not.”

“Exactly. What if it had been Hunter, would you want me to tell you?”

Bobbi sighed, “On one hand, yes. If someone knew that kind of thing, then I’d want to know. But on the other hand, you risk not only breaking a couple up, but ruining any friendship you’ve got left with Fitz. And from what you’ve been telling me, you guys are pretty close.”

Tears pricked her eyes at the thought of losing Fitz. They had only known each other for a very short time but they were so close it was like they were psychically linked. “I have to tell her.” She decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't update this sooner but I ended up writing three versions of this chapter before deciding on this one :)


	10. Revelations

Her heart pounded in her chest as Skye opened the door, oblivious to what Jemma was about to tell her. She really wished that she didn’t have to but Fitz didn’t answer his phone when she had called to make him talk to Skye.

“Jemma? What are you doing here?”

Jemma gave her a sympathetic look, “Can I talk to you, it’s kind of a sensitive subject so you might want to sit down.”

Skye’s frown deepened, “Uh, sure. Come in.” She gestured inside and Jemma followed her lead to sit on the sofa. “What’s up?”

Jemma took a deep breath, there was no backing out now. “It’s about Fitz.” She glanced up from her fidgeting hands to check her expression. She was clearly clueless about what he’d done. “I feel terrible but I need to tell you.” She took another breath and looked Skye in the eyes. “We kissed.”

“Okaayy” Skye drew out. _She was in shock, thought Jemma._ “And you needed to tell me this, why?”

Now it was Jemma’s turn to frown, “I couldn’t keep it from you! The guilt was killing me and I didn’t know if he’d tell you or not.”

“Jemma, help me out here because I’m really confused. Why were you guilty? You’re all he’s been talking about recently, I kind of expected it.”

Jemma was completely bewildered now, “How do you not care about this? He’s your _boyfriend_.”

Skye suddenly broke out into uncontrollable laughter, “What?!” she managed to get out. “Oh my god.” More laughter. She fell off of the sofa with the momentum of it. “You thought that…” she pointed up at Jemma from her place on the floor, where she was struggling to breath with how funny the suggestion was. _Her and Fitz! That would be so weird!_ Skye thought.

Jemma was almost speechless. _Almost._ “Wait, so if you’re not his girlfriend…?”

Skye managed to compose herself but still had to let out giggles every few seconds. “Of course I’m not! That would be so weird, he’s one of my best friends.” Giggle, “Trust me when I say this Jemma, he is not, and never will be, even remotely romantically involved with me.”

“I see.” She paused, “I’m sorry to bother you then.” Then stood up and headed to leave.

“You two would make an adorable couple. He’s totally into you.” Skye said, stopping Jemma in her tracks.

She turned around, “Really?”

“Really.”

She beamed at her, _Fitz liked her! And he was single!_ Turning back again to leave she couldn’t stop her smile from taking over her face. It stayed there until she closed the door. _I fucked up,_ she realized. How could she have been so stupid? Of course he wasn’t with Skye, he never even implied he was, and now she’d gone and ruined the perfect moment they’d had that morning.

Jemma practically ran down the stairs to Fitz’s door, but of course running in the hall was against the rules. Not the actual rules but the ones she’d always had for herself, this one having stuck with her from school. When she reached it she pounded on the door. “Fitz! I am so sorry, let me explain.” But there was no answer, she listened for any noise before deciding he was probably out. She wrote a quick note and slid it under his door for when he got back:

‘ _So sorry about earlier, come over to mine as soon as your home. I need to explain._

_-Jemma x’_

***

Fitz unlocked his door and let it swing open. He wished the day could just be over with so he could forget about it and get on with his life. First the thing with Jemma this morning (well not the kiss, that was fantastic, more her running off) and then he dropped his phone in a massive puddle and soaked his shoes retrieving it. He paused in the doorway when he saw a small piece of paper on the floor. He picked it up, pulling his door shut and rushing along to Jemma’s as soon as he read it.

He knocked on the door, both nervous and excited. It could be bad news but, and going the the ‘x’ at the end of the note, it could be very, very good news.

Jemma had opened the door nearly within the second, speaking before it was even fully open. “I have a really big crush on you but I thought you were Skye’s boyfriend. That’s why I ran off earlier, not because I didn’t like you.” She blurted.

Fitz stood frozen, he wasn’t expecting that. “Ok, firstly, I feel the same way. You’re amazing and smart and beautiful and-” His speech was impeded by the lips that were now on his and the hands in his hair. He relaxed into it, brushing his fingers down her sides to stop at her waist, pulling her in closer to him. Jemma took her hands away from his great hair and down to his collar, where she loosened his tie until it came off. Getting the hint, Fitz kicked the door shut and made quick work of unbuttoning her shirt, but she was already pulling him into her bedroom. She slammed the door shut when they got in there.

***

“Holy shit.” He whispered, panting hard.

“Oh my god that was amazing.” She mumbled almost incoherently, melting into his embrace.

“Mmm…” He agreed, kissing his way along her jaw-line and down her neck. He stopped when he remembered something and started chuckling to himself.

_Jesus that’s a sexy laugh,_ she thought.

“What?” She asked.

“You thought Skye was my girlfriend.”

She groaned, “Ok, ok. I’m an idiot.”

“No you’re not.”

She kissed him sweetly on the lips, “You’re cute.” She whispered.

“Pretty sure that’s you.” He replied, kissing her back and pulling her in tighter. He couldn’t have felt any better in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter, I hope you enjoyed! Thank you so much for all the nice comments and kudos. I might post a few short one-shots that go along with this storyline in the future but I can't promise anything. :)


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